Change: 59% of Americans, 58% of southerners now oppose flying the Confederate flag in public places

Hotair ^ | 06/25/2015 | AllahPundit

[SeekAndFind]

Am I right that this is the first major poll taken since the beginning of Flagmania last week? I’m curious to see if other pollsters are seeing the same shifts that YouGov is. Because this is a lot of movement in a very short period:

When was the last time any cultural hot-button issue bounced by double digits in a span of three months? Maybe after Obama finally endorsed gay marriage in 2012?

The crosstabs unfortunately don’t break down the numbers by region and race. It’s useful to know what white Americans and black Americans think, and it’s useful to know what southerners think compared to people from other regions. But there’s no way to tell how white southerners differ from black southerners on this subject, apart from a tidbit that YouGov discloses in its summary: White southerners continue to tilt heavily in favor of seeing the flag as a symbol of southern pride rather than racism, 53/20. Among black Americans generally (not just southerners), the split on the same question is … 3/70. That’s some gap.

But the gap also helps explain why it’s not surprising to find southern opinion not much different from opinion in other regions on the various questions YouGov asked. Whether the flag should be displayed in public places, whether it should be displayed on government property, whether it should fly on government buildings, whether you can understand why blacks are upset about its display — southern opinion on balance is right in line with opinion in the northeast, midwest, and west. Majorities in all regions are opposed on the first three and empathetic on the fourth. But that doesn’t tell us much about whether and how much southern white opinion — the people who’d be most inclined to defend the flag’s identity as one of regional pride — might have moved after Nikki Haley et al. came out against the flag’s display. What you’re seeing in the southern numbers here, I think, is a combination of southern whites ambivalent about the flag or mildly opposed to it and southern blacks very heavily against it.

In fact, I’d be curious to know if YouGov saw more movement recently among southern whites or southern blacks on whether they view the flag as a symbol of regional pride or racism. When they polled that this week, they got this:

When they asked a similar question in October 2013, they got … this:

The number of whites who see the flag as racist has moved notably, up 13 points. The number of blacks who view the flag as racist has nearly doubled, though. Is that simply because YouGov gave respondents fewer choices this time — there’s no “both equally” in the new poll — or has black opinion changed that much in the past 20 months? (As you can see, less than two years ago, a plurality of black Americans thought the flag was at least as much an emblem of southern pride as it was an emblem of racist.) And when exactly did it change, if it changed — gradually over these last two years or suddenly in the last 10 days? It may be that the post-Charleston push to tear down the flag has done more to solidify black opinion that the flag is a symbol of racism than it has to solidify white opinion. As it is, thanks in part to the heavy tilt among blacks against the flag now, southerners overall are less likely to see the flag as a symbol of southern pride than northeasterners or midwesterners are.

The best proxy for southern white opinion here might be the GOP results in the partisan split. Even among Republicans, though, opinion is now running against the flag. When asked if it should be displayed in public places, GOPers split 40/42. On government property? 30/53. On government buildings? 28/47. On whether they can understand why blacks are upset? 64/31 say yes. The only enormous partisan divide is on the “southern pride or racism?” question, where Republicans split 68/14 while Democrats split 14/70. (In 2013, that GOP split was 56/4, with another 16 percent saying “both equally.”) Even so, most GOPers seem willing to have the flag removed from government spaces, presumably as a gesture of goodwill to blacks.

One last nugget: Despite opposition to the flag, a majority of Americans and even a plurality of blacks oppose changing the names of schools, streets, and buildings named after Confederate leaders. Republicans split 22/63 against; Democrats split 33/40; and blacks split 32/38. I wonder if that’s mainly a convenience thing — who wants the hassle of learning new names for geographic markers? — or if it’s discomfort with the idea of expansive projects to rewrite history. Hmmm.

[oblomov]

Never let a crisis go to waste.

[Himyar]

Oh my. They must not of checked Alabama. We are livid that our weasel of a governor had his minions sneak out first thing in the morning after Gov. Haley’s speech and take down all four flags at the Confederate War Memorial. These lily livered Republicans fell all over themselves trying to get flags down. The people have no say. Even blacks think it was done wrong.

[INVAR]

And now you all know how THIS was able to happen to a former Republic:

We are reliving it, in our own twisted way, siege healing the Marxist Fascist fundamental transformation of America into a Stalinist Reich.

[GeronL]

Remember when the rights of minorities were important, now we have mob rule. Any dissent is now outlawed

[INVAR]

Sieg Heiling….. that stupid corrective text function…..

[randita]

No, it's more like this:

[cincinnati65]

So.....if this isn't all fabricated.........

Why were they polling about this in March????

[central_va]

This was a pre planned attack on the South and its heritage designed to demoralize the biggest Republican constituency in the USA. This is big deal.

It is sickening that the agipropigandists were waiting for a white on black murder like this. I am sure O'Bastard knew of the plan.

[R_Kangel]

..... Symbolism over substance.

..... Liberals do not understand cause and effect, all they understand is emotion and feelings.

..... They only understand simple symbols that represent some kind of emotion or feeling to them. If the symbol represents something negative ...... then they want it to go away so they can continue to feel good about themselves. However ..... If it's for a well organized activist cause ..... then they feel triumphant for slaying a famous symbol.

..... They are pretty much the incarnation of Don Quixote ..... but have convinced the world that the windmill is actually a real dragon that must be slain.

..... For instance ..... They seek to get rid of the EVIL BIG oil machine .... and would do so if they could and possibly may succeed .... But, However ..... because of their inability to not understand the simple principle of "Cause and Effect" and "Consequences for Their Actions" ..... they probably would not understand why they can no longer afford to fill up their collective gas tanks in their cars when it came time to do so. In fact ..... they would probably get together to agree that it was some evil conspiracy of that same Big Oil Machine ..... that they sought to destroy.

[ncalburt]

Allahidiot strikes again with another Push poll . this left wing troll poster at Hot gas carefully screens only the polls that push his left wing views .

A DC insider troll that Malkins should have canned before selling out to pro Jeb front group that run this website.

[bgill]

Winner, winner, chicken dinner. Oh, wait, are chicken dinners also banned?

[Mears]

Big controversy over confederate flag at Walpole High School in Massachusetts.

http://boston.cbslocal.com/2015/06/19/confederate-flag-remains-a-source-of-controversy-in-walpole/

.

[hosepipe]

POLLs are GOSSIP..... of rumors..

Yes, ALL OF THEM...

[max americana]

” Oh, wait, are chicken dinners also banned?”

maybe if you include watermelons (cough)

[napscoordinator]

Well I don’t disagree with you but unfortunately while we are discussing this, the rest of America is falling apart.....I find it interesting that while we are discussing a flag, TPP was passed, Obamacare has survived again and now gay marriage will be law of the land. Too me those 3 are way more important then the flag at least at this moment. We can discuss the flag once all these other issues are dealt with.

[central_va]

You lose your self identity and culture, its over.

[GregoTX]

Thats what happens to weak minded people in a vacuum of any real leadership. Big opportunities here for the gajillion folks running for the GOP nomination, just saying.

[wardaddy]

Oh bullshit

[MaxMax]

They can poll all they want. The 1st Amendment allows uneducated people to be offended.

[West Texas Chuck]

Hell, I have people down here in Dallas who feel the Confederate Battle Flag is the same as the Nazi flag. And the confederacy is just like the SS was back in the day.

Useful idiots. So easily convinced up is down.